Friday, 16 March 2012

Turn yer back for just one minute!

The Safari noticed a few Greenfinches and Goldfinches on the feeders first thing this morning and so spent a rather chilly half hour in the garden with the long lens pointed at said feeders - nothing came! We made some warming tea n toast and ended up throwing a big cut-up crust on the garage roof and then hid behind the bedroom curtain and waited for the gulls to descend. 20 minutes we stood there like a lemon, only to turn our back for the briefest of moments when Wifey called up the stairs - a dozen Herring Gulls descended like Harpies and scoffed the lot, they were just making their hasty departure as we turned back round - how annoying was that!
A trip to the village for some odds n sods had us stopping at the field for a quick game of ball with Frank - two Meadow Pipits and a Pied Wagtail flew over. In the village car park we sat with a panting Frank while Wifey ran her errands - nice to see and listen to the Jackdaws flying around, when we were kids we knew we were somewhere exotic in the countryside if we could hear Jackdaws!
In the afternoon it was all hands to the chainsaw and attack that log pile. We held while Wifey wielded the saw like a weapon of mass destruction; within an hour or so the empty woodstore was refilled ready for next winter - just got to cut the remainder tomorrow and top up 'Barbara' - the wood house ;- )

Where to next? Might try to get out this evening on (yet) another ill-fated Short Eared Owl watch, failing that the mothy might go out if it doesn't look like it's gonna rain overnight.
In the meantime let us know who's pecking at the wood in your outback.

Thursday, 15 March 2012

Patch 2 lifer arrives en masse

The Safari was able to drag a protesting Frank a little further up the hill this morning and we got as far as the tower and a few feet further. It was worth all the coaxing and cajoling as one of the Peregrines was sat in a less usual place and silhouetted nicely against the foggy grey background. What a brute she is! As we were admiring her ample proportions a Goldcrest flitted (should that be flut?) past us into the large conifer trees on the other side of the road...a taste of things to come...
The drive down the prom was fraught as it was so foggy we couldn’t see the sea, not good for our early morning safari over on to Patch 2. We parked up got out of the Land Rover, locked the door and immediately heard a Goldcrest call (P2 #46)...an all time Patch 2 tick as well! It flut across the car park entrance into the hedge along the garden wall and we heard a second call. Walking quietly along the path we soon discovered a THIRD...none in seven years then three together...what’s that about buses?
In the office a quick look at the Fylde Bird Club’s sightings page for yesterday showed there had been a bit of a significant influx of Goldcrests in to our area and a scan through the other ‘local’ websites revealed this was part of a much wider scale movement.
We had our brew first in the hope the murk would lift and after about half an hour or so it looked like it had so we risked a venture out on to the patch. From the seawall we couldn’t see the sea and the beach didn’t really hold anything of note.
Above us somewhere in the cloud there was some action, we heard several Alba’ Wagtails, got on to a Grey Wagtail and, not before time(!!!), connected with a couple of Meadow Pipits (126, P2 #47).
Getting the camera from the office we had a singularly unsuccessful attempt at getting some Goldcrest pics, they’re too quick and were too deep in too dense vegetation. 
Our afternoon safari started by hearing the three Goldcrests again, this time in the front garden. We think they’ve got themselves trapped in an urban dead end and can’t find the next clump of bushes to flit to. We grabbed the camera from under the desk; the plan was to get ahead of them as they moved along the hedge and wait at a more open section...the ‘more open’ sections aren’t that open!
We weren’t prepared for one to fly out of the hedge and land on the roof of the building. It had a look around, decided there was nowhere to go so flitted back down into the hedge again. Then it hopped out on the grass...and we got it! Well sort of...hardly a mind blowing set of photos.





We’d like to bet we can count on the thumb of one hand the number of times we’ve seen a Goldcrest actually on the ground. Nice pic here of one from yesterday over on our early 1980’s patch on the South-side.
Nothing was on the still horrendously grey and gloomy sea bar a single Great Crested Grebe and only a hundred or so of the thousands of Common Scoters.
Where to next? Ohhh a long weekend of safari-ing beckons...
In the meantime let us know what rarely, if ever, drops to the ground in your outback.
Only 30 behind Monika now...

Wednesday, 14 March 2012

Out of the grey

The Safari was once again thwarted by a very lazy Frank We didn’t get far up the hill and are seriously beginning to wonder if we’ll ever get another early morning full round of Patch 1 and are now worrying about missing all those lovely spring migrants.
Patch 2 was a very grey affair but we could just about make out the horizon. Common Scoter numbers were probably about as high they have been in recent days but we couldn’t see all of them. Close in, well close to the water’s edge on the other side of the surf were eight Great Crested Grebes, with the tide well out they weren’t actually that close at all.
Overhead we head several Pied (Alba) Wagtails making their way northwards and a couple of Grey Wagtails (P2 #44) flew north over the beach together. Still no Meadow Pipits!
At lunchtime on the way across the road we spotted some Starlings trying to reach a pie inside a plastic bag 
 Well one of them had to be first!
– a perfect subject for a lecture on Bird Behaviour we’ve been invited to give at Maroo Wildlife Refuge later in the year.
Out to sea it was significantly greyer than earlier and the horizon was lost in a not too far away grey-out. Nothing could be seen except a couple of Cormorants both of which captured and then struggled to swallow reasonably large flatfish.
We didn’t give it long before deciding to call it a day but we had a last scan, just in case, and copped for a really good bird for the patch – a nice male Goldeneye (P2 #45) flew by, going south, but soon landed and started all the head throwing display even though there was no other bird of any species within 500 yards of it!
A little later a trip to the outside storeroom gave us a single Jackdaw making it’s way north through the thick low cloud.
So what looked for all intents and purposes like being a bit of a grotty day turned far better than expected in the end – and that’s why we like this safari-ing m’larky...you just never quite know what is going to turn up.
Where to next? More lack of visibility or more bonus birds?
In the meantime let us know what appeared out of the gloom in your outback.

Tuesday, 13 March 2012

Morning murmurations

The Safari has solved the riddle of the mysterious whereabouts of the loudly singing Mistle Thrush...by tricky triangulation we sussed he was somewhere on the tower. Looking up he wasn’t on the Peregrines’ favoured ledge nor the wider one above it. Eventually we found him – right at the top of the tallest comms mast...no better place to be if you’re trying to advertise your presence!
As we were triangulating we watched the massed ranks of Starlings flying over on their way to their daytime feeding sites. In the distance we could see them bunching up in tight anti-predator formations, something we’ve not noticed in the morning before, probably because it has been dark when we’ve been out on the patch.
Patch 2 was dingy and grey but at least the visibility out to sea was reasonable and we again estimated 10,000 Common Scoters and nothing else.
The beach was more productive; we didn’t count the Oystercatchers but there were 127 Sanderlings ...and no Ringed Plovers.
At lunchtime the light was weird but the  visibility was superb, hardly a ripple from here to Ireland, not that we can see that far. The scoters looked ethereal floating in a void of grey, but just how many are there??? Squnzillions at a guess! Looked for all the world like Wildebeest on the plains of the Serengeti!
Six Great Crested Grebes were equaled by six Red Throated Divers, the most we've seen for a long time. 
A Grey Seal stuck his nose out of the water a few hundred yards to the south...but no Harbour Porpoises :-(
Where to next? More of the same but with some cetaceans please.
In the meantime let us know what's looking ethereal in your outback
Sorry no pics again today, maybe there'll be something to get the camera out of the bag for tomorrow.

Monday, 12 March 2012

An opportunity missed?

The Safari drove down the prom this morning on the way to work glancing at the sea with eager anticipation as it was glass calm, although there was a lot of misty low cloud.
As soon as wee were able we grabbed the scope and scootled off across the road. Visibility was better than expected(!) but still a little limiting We set about counting the Common Scoters in the distance and got a figure around 5000. Nothing with them as we could make out though.
The very low tide meant there was acres of beach but all the action was down at the water's edge between the bait diggers. 300 or so Oystercatchers, a few Sanderlings and two Turnstones. We decided to have a peek north of the outfall pipe and found another 300 Oystercatchers but nothing else - where are the Ringed Plovers???
At lunchtime the very high tide was on the way in and visibility was somewhat improved...what a difference...now we could estimate about 10,000 Common Scoters. A Great Crested Grebe was the only thing that broke the scoter monopoly.
Did we see a roll of a Harbour Porpoise...twice!!! or were they just shadows of larger wavelets? A porp was seen earlier a little to the north...so did we or didn't we....if we did it was far from conclusive :-(
Where to next? Roll on tomorrow.
In the meantime let us know what the visibility's gonna be like in your outback tomorrow.
No chance of any pics today.

Sunday, 11 March 2012

White birds 4 (-1) : Brown birds 1

The Safari didn't see Saturn last night at moon-rise due to excessive light pollution but the moon was an impressively beautiful rose pink.
We forgot to set up the moth trap as well - not the best of nights all round.
This morning the Peregrine was swooping round the tower calling loudly, perhaps the other was around somewhere.
After a breakfast, not our traditional bacon excesses :-( we went to the nature reserve before heading off to the estuary for the high tide.
We were only at the reserve about half an hour or so. A 2nd winter Mediterranean Gull was seen to fly round but not land. A colour ringed Coot was just too far to ID as we didn't have the scope with us.
As we had a last look before leaving we saw the Iceland Gull drop in - bonus!!! Shame it was right across the mere in the scrape and not on the 'goalposts with the Black Headed Gulls.





Then it was off to the river. 19 Little Egrets were counted but we missed the Great White Egret by minutes dohhhhh. 92 Whooper Swans graced the marsh. Raptors included two Marsh Harriers, a Merlin, a very distant Kestrel, a Peregrine and a Sparrowhawk...not  bad...But no Water Pipit, not even any Meadow Pipits, no Jack Snipe and no Short eared Owl :-(



 L/4 is quite well known here but we'll still report it for completeness.
 After an afternoon at home we headed back to the nature reserve for dusk.
30 Tufted Ducks and 11 Goldeneyes were counted. While there was still some light two Little Grebes flew/scuttered from the far end.
A Cetti's Warbler sang to our left and another called to our right.
Then what we'd been waiting for happened - a Bittern (125) flew across the mere from the reeds just beyond the big bay on the left in the pic.
It landed in the reeds near the Fylde Bird Club hide. A little later it climbed up the reeds and swayed around. Another soon joined it up there. Then we we joined by another birder who spotted that there was another blob in the reeds a little higher and a tad further back. We chatted and scanned for other stuff and when we looked back all three blobs had gone..THREE Bitterns!!!
Our friend had seen the Little Owl on the barn but it wasn't visible from where we were now stood.
The edge of the reeds along the channel in front of us was 'alive' with Water Rails, at least three and more squealing from deeper in....still no Meadow Pipit for the year challenge though.
Where to next? Back to Patch 2 where reduced visibility would appear to be order of the day if the weather forecast is anything to go by.
In the meantime let us know which colour of bird stole the show in your outback.

Saturday, 10 March 2012

Afternoon sortie

The Safari had our Extreme Joiner round this arvo building the second pergola for the Wisteria and Clematis plants to climb all over. Hopefully there'll be a plethora of flowers later in the summer.
After he'd finished set off for the North Blackpool Pond Trail to look for a Pool/Marsh Frog that had been reported to us by GUF yesterday.
The 'Black Pond' close to where the mystery amphibian was spotted...no 'chair in a tree' here anymore thanks to the stalwart efforts of  the volunteers. 
A Burying Beetle - somewhat dead was found.

A very pleasant hour was spent rummaging around the various ponds. No luck at all - didn't even find any Common Frogs, although we did find clumps of spawn although not in every pond yet. But we did find several Toads, our first of the year. No newts either despite flipping over some choice pieces of wood/carpet/plastic etc.




Also seen in one pond were two Goldfish and a rather chunky Carp along with one of the biggest, if not THE biggest Greater Pond Snail we've ever seen, a full 6 1/2cm long.
A Song Thrush sang loudly - not unexpected but deffo unexpected were the 11 Snipe that we flushed from a shallow puddle near Wifey's work.

A pair of Mallards were lurking furtively there too.
We'd spent so long faffing around the ponds we ran out of time to look for Bee Orchid rosettes.
Where to next? Back on the birds tomorrow probably.
In the meantime let us know what's covering your outback in spawn.